The present invention is directed to a cutting tool for removing the tenders from a poultry carcass and a method for removing the tenders from the carcass. More particularly, the cutting tool is a deboning knife that slices the tenders from the keel. The deboning knife includes a plurality of blades that simultaneously remove both the left and right tenders with a single stroke of the knife.
The tender is a small strip of meat situated beneath the breast portion and adjacent to the keel on a bird. One tender is located on each side of the keel. When deboning a carcass, the tenders are generally removed after the breast portion and the wings have been cut away from the carcass shell.
Removing the tender can be difficult due to its size and shape, and its close attachment to the keel. Both manual and automated means are known in the art for separating the tenders from the carcass.
When the tenders are removed manually from a carcass, a cutting tool such as a knife is generally used. Typically, the method for manually removing the tenders from a keel comprises slicing a first tender away from the carcass, then slicing the second tender away from the carcass. By running the knife blade under the first tender and down one side of the keel the tender is separated from the keel. The same process is repeated to release the second tender from the carcass. Severing the tenders from the carcass in separate cutting actions can double the amount of time required to remove the tenders from the carcass. Such inefficiency slows production and increases the cost of producing poultry products.
Furthermore, conventional knife blades generally have flat, planar surfaces. Since the keel is curvilinear, the planar blade fails to accommodate the shape of the keel and unwanted waste is left on the carcass after the cutting process is completed. Therefore conventional knives are unable to effectively separate the tender from the keel. In some situations, the knife blade can be repeatedly repositioned during use to better accommodate the shape of the keel. However, such a means of removing the tender requires more user time and skill.
While automated means for removing the tenders from poultry carcasses are known, such machines generally cause extensive damage to the carcass, thereby producing less than satisfactory results. In addition, automated means are not exacting in their removal of the meat and the amount of waste created is typically greater than that resulting from manual removal.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a deboning knife and method for removing both tenders of a poultry carcass simultaneously in order to reduce the time required to process poultry. An additional need exists to provide a knife and method for removing tenders that reduces waste and inhibits damage to the resulting carcass shell.
The present invention is directed to a cutting tool and method for removing the tenders from a poultry carcass. The cutting tool comprises a deboning knife having a cutting means which include a plurality of spaced apart blades arranged in side by side relation.
The cutting edges of the blades are aligned with each other. Each of the blades is bow shaped and includes undulations along the surfaces thereof to allow each blade to follow the curvature of the keel during use. To remove the tenders with the deboning knife of the present invention, the pointed tips of the blades are positioned proximate the upper end of the keel, generally between the tender and the wishbone. The knife is inserted at that location with a respective blade entering the carcass on each side of the keel. Drawing the blades along the keel toward the carcass cavity simultaneously cuts both of the tenders away from the carcass.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a knife that can simultaneously remove at least both tenders from a poultry carcass.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for simultaneously removing at least both tenders from a poultry carcass.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knife for removing poultry tenders that reduces the amount of waste left on the carcass.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knife that reduces the time required to remove the tenders from a poultry carcass.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for removing tenders that reduces the time required to remove the tenders from a carcass.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knife that can quickly and efficiently remove the tenders from a poultry carcass.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fast and efficient method for removing the tenders from the carcass of a bird.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool and method for removing poultry tenders from a carcass in which damage to the carcass shell is significantly reduced.